


Twice The Man

by crushondeanlikeafairy



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avocados at Law, Best Friends, Blind Character, College, Foggy Nelson Is a Good Bro, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 17:45:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15668145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crushondeanlikeafairy/pseuds/crushondeanlikeafairy
Summary: Sometimes people think Matt's disability defines him. Those moments are when it comes in handy to have a Foggy Nelson.





	Twice The Man

**Author's Note:**

> So I really love Matt and Foggy's friendship, and I really want to see more of them being little cuties together. Thus, this was born.

Matt Murdock wasn't used to having friends. He was a charismatic person, sure, but he never really let them get too close. People were nice to him out of necessity. They didn't want to be _that_ person. The one who wasn't nice to the blind guy. The one that their own friends judged. So, they treated him nicely. They smiled, he assumed, and they used the tone of voice to speak to him that customer services reps often did when someone was ordering food. It was fake and too high-pitched to be genuine. And eventually, the novelty of having a blind friend wore off. People got tired of having to put in a little extra work and they moved on. It was the way of the world.

People judging him solely by the fact that he was blind. That, he was used to. Prospective adoptive parents never chose him. Matt learned early on that nobody wants the blind kid. The kids didn't want to sit with him at recess and some of the nuns even thought he was possessed before Stick had taught him how to control his senses. People looked at the blind guy and saw someone broken. Someone less than. It was the way of the world.

But Foggy was different. Matt walked into their dorm, and beyond a quick, "Sorry, you're blind," moment, Matt was treated like a normal person from then on out. It was refreshing.

"I hope that won't be a problem," had been Matt's response.

And what Foggy said, "Why would it be?"

Why would it be? It took Matt by surprise. Normally people danced around him like glass and he hated it. People didn't know about his enhanced senses, but that didn't really matter. Enhanced senses or no, he deserved to be treated like a human being, just like everyone else. And that's exactly how Foggy acted around him and soon they were heading down to get coffee.

They entered the cafe and Matt was immediately hit by the intense sound that was nothing more than a lot of people milling around in a small space. A dozen different conversations. A hundred smells and even tastes in the air. He stopped in the doorway for a second.

"What's up?" Foggy asked, and Matt sensed his roommate's head turning toward him.

Matt was usually uncomfortable about asking for help, but he found it easy asking Foggy if he could grab his elbow.

"Sorry, it's kind of crowded in here. Could I grab your elbow?"

"Yea, of course."

Foggy reached over and tapped his arm, and Matt looped it through Foggy's own.

"Thanks," Matt laughed, "I don't like hitting people with my cane. Especially when they're holding hot coffee."

The other man belted out a loud guffaw, causing some people in front of them in line to turn around momentarily, "Now that is an image to put in my head, Matt Murdock. I would love to see that."

"Yea, well, not today. I'd rather not knock anyone over on the first day. That's more like a second-day thing to do."

"I'm looking forward to it. I mean, I'm gonna be needing a lot of coffee, so we're coming back tomorrow. And you better hold up your end of the bargain, my friend."

Matt chuckled, "Alright, deal."

After placing their order, they found a table in the crowded cafe. Apparently, college students heavily relied on coffee, even on the first day of the semester.

"So, aside from Punjabi, what other classes are you taking?" Matt asked as he sat down, folding up his cane in his lap.

"Uh..." Foggy hummed, "Business 103, Legal Procedures 101-"

"Mondays with Professor Martins?"

"You too?!" Foggy asked excitedly.

"Yea," Matt smiled, "Looks like we're gonna be study buddies."

"Thank god, because I am not a studying type person. I could use all the help I can get."

"What makes you think I'm a 'studying type person'?" Matt returned.

"Eh. You look studious."

And just like that, they became friends. The pair finished up their coffees and went back to the dorm to finish up their unpacking. Foggy's was mostly done, and Matt didn't have much stuff, just the one duffle bag, so it didn't take long. They spent the rest of the afternoon together, talking like they'd known each other for years. Matt had a good feeling about this semester.

Unfortunately, even with his enhanced senses, Matt's good feelings weren't always right. And some people don't appreciate the American's with Disabilities Act, they see it more as a burden on them rather than an aid for other people.

"Hey, Foggy, grab us some seats would ya? I have to go talk to Martins."

Foggy responded in the affirmative as Matt walked down the lecture hall toward the professor where he stood by his podium, typing something on his computer.

"Hi, Professor Martins?"

"Yes?" the teacher looked up, and Matt felt the tension rise. The man let out a small annoyed huff before he looked back down at his screen.

"I just wanted to ask if your powerpoints for lectures are available online?"

"Yes, they are. They are available for every student," Martins responded, and Matt didn't miss the tone of bitterness in his voice, "Special case or not."

"Ok," Matt smiled stiffly, "If it's not too much trouble, I was wondering, when you have to write something down that's not on the powerpoint, could you possibly also read it aloud?"

"I will teach my class the way I teach my class." 

"Alright," Matt replied, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. He turned around to head back toward Foggy. Remembering that a normal blind guy would probably not know where Foggy had gone, he paused in his step, hoping that his new friend would notice and get the message.

"Matt! Over here!" Foggy called, sticking his hand up, probably out of habit. Matt smiled despite himself and nodded in the direction of his friend's voice. To hold up the show, and to mess with Foggy, Matt came up to the row of chairs that his friend was sitting him and walked right into Foggy, knocking his notebook on the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Matt said but laughed when Foggy got up and moved from the seat at the end of the aisle to the second one in, picking his notebook up as he went. Matt sat down in the seat Foggy had vacated, folding up his cane and setting his bookbag down on the ground.

"Nope, my bad. Probably shouldn't have sat on the end seat, now that I think about it," Foggy responded, and Matt was glad to hear laughter in Foggy's voice too. It was nice having someone he could joke around with. Matt rather enjoyed making blind jokes and it was hard to find the right kind of people who would laugh with him rather than become uncomfortable.

"Yea, well, karma is a bitch."

Matt heard Foggy chuckle beside him, "That it is my friend, that it is."

"Hey," Matt asked, leaning to the side closer to Foggy, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Course, shoot," Foggy answered, copying Matt's body language and leaning conspiratorily.

"If he writes something down on the board, would you mind copying it down in your notes?"

"No problemo, mon amigo," Foggy responded, bringing his hand up in a salute.

Matt chuckled, "I don't think that's proper Spanish, Foggy."

"How should I know, I'm taking Punjabi!"

"Good point," Matt answered, clapping Foggy on the shoulder. He fetched his textbook from his bag, the braille copy for obvious reasons, and his recorder. Matt had found it easier a long time ago to record lectures and play them back later when he was studying than to type out on his computer. A recording ensured he wouldn't miss anything, and he could always type out the audio later anyway.

"Alright everyone, settle down," a voice sounded from the front of the room and Foggy sat up straight again, facing forward, "I'm Professor Martins. Welcome to Legal Procedures 101. If you think this class is going to be a cakewalk, I suggest you leave now. It is very hard to pass my class."

"This is gonna be fun," Foggy whispered in Matt's ear.

"I give no special treatment. I think the ADA was a mistake, I think it gives some students an advantage over the normal ones and I will not be supporting that. Each student is responsible for his or her own grade, and if they can't cut it, then they shouldn't be here."

Matt felt several heads in the room turn toward him. The silence in the room was deafening, and judging by how Foggy was shifting around beside him, Matt knew he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable.

"Now that we have that out of the way, the syllabus," the professor started once more, but he didn't get very far.

"What did you just say?" Foggy interrupted, standing up from his seat beside Matt. Shocked, Matt turned his head toward his friend.

"Excuse me?" Martins asked, pausing in his lecture.

"Foggy, it's okay," Matt whispered.

"No, it's not," Foggy responded in a hushed voice, before raising it again to address the teacher, "You heard me. Do you have something you're trying to say about my friend?"

"Young man, if you have an issue with the way I teach my class-"

"Yes. I do have an issue. With the fact that you are apparently okay with treating someone with a disability like they're garbage-"

"I'd like you to-"

"No," Foggy demanded, holding a hand up to stop the professor, "I wasn't done. This man sitting beside me, he's smart. He's kind, which is something that you could definitely learn from him. And he certainly doesn't judge other people before he even knows them."

"I don't have to explain myself or my teaching methods. If you have a problem with the class, you are free to drop it. In the meantime, I don't have to jump through hoops to provide special treatment for a student who can't even be bothered to try and take notes and to help himself-"

"He's recording the lecture," Foggy answered, lifting up the recorder so that everyone can see it, "Because he can't see the powerpoint you have projected on the board. He has to learn a little bit differently than the rest of us, that doesn't make him stupid and it certainly doesn't make him any less worthy of an education. So what if he needs a little extra help? He can't help it if the world is set up for people who can see. He can't help the fact that he's one of the people who can't fit in the world. As an educator, I think you should know that. I think you should be promoting people from all walks of life to pursue an education and to better themselves."

"As I've said before, if you-"

"Yes, I'm leaving. I'll drop the class. And right after, I'll be taking this little recording here to the Board of Education, and I'll be letting them know that one of their professors violated the American's with Disabilities Act. I'm sure they'll be very grateful for my help. I hope you enjoy an early retirement."

The room remained in stunned silence, including Matt who wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to that. Foggy leaned down and pat Matt on the shoulder.

"Come on, buddy. I'll grab your bag."

Matt stood up stiffly, unfolding his cane. Foggy grabbed Matt's book bag off the floor and looped his arm through his roommate's and they headed toward the door. As Foggy reached for the handle, he turned back to professor Martins once more.

"And for the record, this man beside me? You can look down on him all you want, but I can tell you right now, he is twice the man you will ever be. There is a lot that you could have learned from him."

The pair exited the room, shutting the door softly behind them as they walked down the hallway. As soon as Matt heard the door click, he lifted his head up in Foggy's general direction.

"You didn't have to do that," he muttered.

"Course I did," Foggy responded, facing forward, "Guy was an asshole. And anyway, I was telling the truth."

"But you don't even know me," Matt laughed softly.

"I know enough. You're a good guy, Matt."

"Thanks," Matt said softly, turning his head forward again. They walked in silence for a while and Matt could feel Foggy looking at him.

"You're not used to people standing up for you, are you?" he commented.

Matt chuckled, "No, not really. Not since my dad."

Foggy was quiet again, before he bumped Matt with his shoulder, "Well get used to it, Murdock. You got yourself a friend now."

"Alright, sounds good."

"Good. Now, come one. We gotta go report this prick."

"Right now?" Matt laughed.

Foggy took his free arm and grabbed the hand that Matt was holding onto Foggy with, squeezing slightly, "There's no time like the present, young man."

Matt smiled a big ole' happy smile. Having a friend to watch his back was new to him, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel good.

"Alright, but I'm buying today's coffee."

"I'm not going to say no to that."

So the pair headed off toward the administration's office, planning on making a few wrongs right. And if they became friends along the way, well, then that was alright with Matt.

**Author's Note:**

> Quick sidebar, the stuff the professor says is based off another fic I read recently but I can't find it. I changed it quite a bit, but the idea and all that is theirs. If you guys recognize it could you tell me so I can give them credit? Thanks!
> 
> Edit: The fic was Some May More Quietly Commemorate by Princex_N!!!  
> Thanks, @WhyWhyNot!!


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